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LLANDILO FAWR

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The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

In 1868, the parish of Llandilo Fawr contained the following places:

"LLANDILO FAWR, a parish and market town in the hundreds of Cayo, Perfedd, and Iskennen, county Carmarthen, 14 miles N.E. of Carmarthen, 14 S.W. of Llandovery, and 203 from London. The Llanelly and Vale of Towey railway has a station here. It is situated on the side of a hill sloping precipitously down to the N. bank of the river Towey, which is here crossed by a marble bridge of 150 feet span. The parish includes the chapelries of Cwmamman and Taliaris, with the hamlets of Manorfabon, Tregib, and about a dozen other small places. The numerous small streams which water this parish empty themselves into the Towey, after turning several mills for grinding corn. The town, which contains about 2,000 inhabitants, consists chiefly of one long street, rather irregular, but has some good modern-built houses. It contains a townhall, in which the county court is held monthly, a commercial bank, savings-bank, and a mechanics' institute. It is a polling place for the county elections, and the county quarter sessions for July are held here. The workhouse for the Poor-law Union is situated in this parish. There are several springs possessing medicinal properties. Woollen cloth is manufactured, and tanning is carried on to a considerable extent. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St. David's, value £512, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Teilo, was rebuilt in 1848, but retaining the old steeple. It has one of the finest organs in the principality, and contains the tomb and baptistry of its patron saint. In addition to the parish church, there are two district churches, viz: Cwmamman and Taliaris, the livings of both which are perpetual curacies, value respectively, £150 and £133, the former in the gift of the bishop. The parochial charities produce about £33 per annum. The Independents, Baptists, and Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists have chapels. There is a National school, also one belonging to the Independents, and a school called Warner's, having an endowment of £9 annually. The rocks around the town consist of a coarse slate of a dark colour, frequently calcareous, and in part true limestone, which abound with trilobites, particularly the Asaphus and Ogygia Buchii, with many lower Silurian forms of shells, and other fossils characteristic of the Llandilo flags. A number of mansions meet the eye in every direction. The principal of these are Dynevor Castle, belonging to Lord Dynevor, and Golden Grove, the seat of Earl Cawdor. Upon a headland at a short distance from the modern mansion stand the ruins of the ancient fortress, the real Dynevor Castle, once the residence of the princes of South Wales, consisting of a square and round tower overhanging the precipice, and some battlemented walls, part of the original enclosure said .to have been constructed by Roderic the Great. The Bishop of St. David's is lord of the manor. Saturday is market day, for provisions, &c., and during the summer a market is held on Tuesdays for sheep and wool. Fairs are held on the 20th February, Monday before Easter, 5th and 12th May, 21st June, 23rd August, 28th September, 12th and 22nd November, and on the Monday previous to Christmas Day."

"BRYN-Y-BEIRDD, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, in the county of Carmarthen, South Wales, not far from Llandilo Fawr. It is seated near the river Towey."

"CEFNCETHINFAWR, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 3 miles S. of Llandilo Fawr."

"CWMAMMAN, a chapelry, in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, in the county of Carmarthen, 15 miles N.E. of Carmarthen. The living is a curacy in the diocese of St. David's, value £150, in the patronage of the bishop. The church was built in 1841. Near here is the new marble bridge-over the river Towey."

"CWMCAWLWYD, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, in the county of Carmarthen, 4 miles from Llandilo Fawr, and 15 N.E. of Carmarthen."

"GLANAMAN, a hamlet in the parishes of Betws and Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen. It is situated in the Black mountains, within a short distance of the town of Llandilo-fawr. The river Aman flows through the neighbourhood."

"MANORFABON, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 2 miles N.E. of Llandilo Fawr. It is situated on the river Towey."

"PENTRECWN, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, hundred of Iskennen, county Carmarthen. It is situated opposite Dynevor Castle, on the river Teivi."

"PONT-AR-DULAIS, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 9 miles S.E. of Carmarthen. It is a station on the Llanelly and Vale of Towey railway. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Lougher and Dulais, and is much frequented as a fishing station."

"RHIWLAS, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 2 miles from Llandilo Fawr, and 15 N.E. of Carmarthen. It is situated among the hills, near the marble bridge over the river Towey."

"RHOSMAEN, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 2 miles from Llandilo Fawr, and 15 N.E. of Carmarthen. It is situated amongst the hills, near the new marble bridge over the river Towey."

"TACHBYAN, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, near Llandilo-fewer."

"TALIARIS, a chapelry in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 4 miles N.E. of Llandilo Fawr, its post town, and 4 from Llangadoch. The village is situated on a branch of the river Towey. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of St. David's, value £133. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and was erected at the expense of Lord R. Seymour"

"TRECASTLE, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, near Llandilo Fawr, on the river Cennen, near Carrig-Cennen Castle, where Roman coins and other relics have been discovered."

"TREGIB, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 1 mile S.E. of Llandilo Fawr. It is situated on the river Towy and the Via Julia Montana."

"TYRESCOB, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, near Llandilo-fawr, on the river Towry."

"UPPER MANORDEILO, (and Lower Manordeilo) hamlets in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, near Llandilo Fawr. It is situated on the river Towey.

"VOLEGASTELL, a hamlet in the parish of Llandilo Fawr, county Carmarthen, 7 miles S.W. of Llandilo-fawr, on the river Cennen."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018